‘Remember Satyuga and Duryodhana’: Former Goa minister on Karnataka’s stand on Mahadayi river dispute

Former Goa minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dayanand Mandrekar on Friday compared Karnataka’s stand on the Mahadayi river dispute with Duryodhana’s epic ‘Mahabharata’, which refused to give any territory to the Pandavas and ‘all Threatened ‘.

Former Water Resources Minister Mahadayi was addressing a gathering of former legislators on the Jal Mod issue, where Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tavadkar was present.

“Goa and Karnataka are neighbours. In our village, we maintain good relations with our neighbors as we rely on them in good and bad times.”

Goa and Karnataka have been embroiled in a dispute for many years over the sharing of the waters of the Mahadayi River. Goa has objected to Karnataka’s proposal to build dams on the Kalsa and Banduri tributaries of the Mahadayi river.

“But looking at the attitude of Karnataka, I remember Satyayuga… Duryodhana had said that he would not even give the tip of a needle to the Pandavas. He was threatening everyone,” the BJP leader said, adding that the neighboring state should understand that people are living in a democracy.

The Central Water Commission has recently approved a Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by Karnataka for the construction of two dams, which has been objected to by the Goa government.

The Goa government has argued that Karnataka cannot divert the river’s water, as it passes through the Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary, which is located downstream in North Goa.

Earlier this week, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said the state government was making efforts on legal, technical and political fronts and was leaving no stone unturned to win the battle for Mahadayi river water.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)